TGWC - Addiction and Recovery

Addiction and recovery affect nearly every family and community—but stigma and silence often keep people from seeking help. In this episode, Heather Young talks with Michelle Jaskulski, who shares her family’s journey into opioid addiction, the shock and isolation that followed, and what she learned about recovery over time.

Grounded in the Revised Social Principles of the United Methodist Church (2024), this conversation frames addiction not as a moral failure, but as a complex reality that calls for compassion, evidence-based care, and human dignity.

Michelle discusses:

• The emotional toll on parents, siblings, and marriages
  
  
• Shame, stigma, and why families often “go quiet,” even at church
  
  
• Addiction as a brain disease—and why recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all
  
  
• The role of trauma, mental health, and spiritual care
  
  
• How churches can move beyond judgment into real support and connection